Method of printing and composition unit.



A. L. SALTZMAN.

METHOD OF PRINTING AND COMPOSITION UNIT. APPLICATION IILBD SEPT. 30,1905.

1,034,839. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

v 2 BHEETBSHEET 1.

A. L. SALTZMAN.

METHOD OF PRINTING AND COMPOSITION UNIT.

APPLICATION FILED sEP' ao, 1905.

1,034,839. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

2 SHBETB8HEET 2.

I l l'tnassasnfiewen (07 e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Aueus'rE n snn'zman, or EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ssstexon ro AMERICANrmoenarn COMPANY, A CORPORATION or WEST VIRGINIA.

of the method an METHOD or PRINTING AND COMPOSITION irm'r.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Application filed September 30, 1905. Serial 80. 280,853.

To all wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUoUs'rE L. SALTZ- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Methods of Printingand omposit-ion Units, .of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the art of printing and has for an object theproviding of a method of printing whereby the characterbearing faces ofthe types are brought quickly and accurately into a single plane and'arethen retained securely in such plane while impressions are madetherefrom; to

provide a method which is adapted to yield impressions of an excellentquality and which is well adapted for making impressions onanunyielding, or a comparatively unyielding, impression-receivingsurface; to provide a composition unit which is the result of thecarryin out of some of the steps which may be used in carryin out othersteps thereof. These and other '0 jects of invention will in part beobvious and in part will more fully appear hereinafter.

It is well-known in the typographic art that cast type bodies vary moreor less in height, such variation being due to different causes, amongwhich are slightly different composition of the metal used for thevarious type bodies, varying conditions of temperature and otherphysical conditions under which the types are cast and cooled. As aresult of the differences in height, the types when composed and placedupon a plane supporting surface for the purpose of t-akingimpressionstherefrom, in the usual manner, will have their character-bearing facesat-varying heights and in consequence thereof the form or composing unitwill give an imperfect impression. This diificulty it has heretoforebeen endeavored in the art to overcome by underlaying or overlaying,theunderlaying being generally used where the form or other composingunit consists of the types themselves while overlaying has beenpracticed to a greater extent where the form consists of an inte .gral'surface, 'such as an electrotype plate.

In practice the make ready methods men tioned, as is well-known, areactually approximations, good -results being the fruit of tedious andrepeated experimenting, which is expensive, and furthermore the methodsare inherently inaccurate as will bereadily understood. Not only doesthe make-ready form a factor in the quality of the printing impressionbut the nature of the impressionreceiving surface also constitutes afactor. The harder or more unyielding the impres sion-receiving surface,the more apparent will be the defects due to the difference in theheights of the types, and the less a iven amount of make-ready willserve to e iminate these defects from observation.

The present invention effects the elimination ofthe tedious andexpensive operations of making ready by underlaying or overlaying notonly for the given composition but,

the character-bearing faces of the types being in a sin le plane and theimpressiom receiving sur ace being also a plane an equal impression willbe received on the said surface from all the ty es.

The advantages a ove enumerated, as well as otheradvantages, are derivedfpom this invention.

;The invention consists in the novel methods, steps, parts, articles andimprovements herein shown and described.

, The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and forming a parthereof, illustrate a'manner of carrying out steps in the process nd alsoembodiments of a composition unit ncluded by the invention. It will beunderstoggsthat the drawings do not necessarily rep ent actualproportions y of the parts, but are more or less diagraui/iuatic 1ncharacter.

line of type bodies with their bottom faces trued and their.character-bearing surfaces in different planes; Fig. 2re'presents a lineof type bodies whose character-bearing sur-' faces have been broughtinto a single plane by being brought into contact witha plane surface;Fig. 3 represents a form of means which may be em Ioyed for thecharacter-bearing aces into a s ng e p a h Of the drawings: Figure, *1represents a Fig. 4 represents one way of establishing a true face inthe type bodies parallel to the plane of the character-bearing faces ofthe types; Fig. 5 represents another way of accomplishing the result setforth in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a line of types havingtheir faces in a-single plane and having holding means for retaining thetype bodies in proper position; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a line oftrued types with one form of holding means; Fig. 8 is a side elevationof a line of types corresponding to Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a side elevationof a form consisting of trued types and provided with one form ofholding meansj Fig. 10 shows in a general way one manner of taking theimpression from a line of types with their faces true; Fig. 11 shows ina general way the taking of an impression from. such a line of types onto a line bar; and Fig. 12 shows in perspective a line of truedlogotypes.

The method embraced in this invention may be carried out by hand or, ifdesired, mechanisms may be provided for automatically carrying out themethod. In the drawings herewith steps of the method are illus trated asbeing carried out manually.

In the drawings herewith Figure 1 shows a line of types having theirbottom ends resting upon a true surface and showing differences inheight of the various character-bearing faces 1, which difierences; ashereinbefore indicated, it has been endeavored in the art to eliminateby making ready, that is, by changing through observation and experimentthe supporting true surface X into an irre ular surface of suchconformation that it will more or less nearly negative or counterbalancethe irregularities in the character-bearing surfaces of the types, andthereby cause them in a corre-- sponding degree to approximate toward atrue plane. In Fig. 2 of the drawings is showna line of types which havehad their character-bearing surfaces l brought into a single plane bybeing brought into contact with a true plane surface X, as contemplatedby this invention. K

By bringing the character-bearing faces of the types instead of thebottom ends thereof into contact with a plane surface, thecharacter-bearing faces are immediately, positively and accuratelybrought into a single plane. If the-type bodies are held or fixed inthese relative positions while impressions are being taken,-as furthercontemplated by this invention, resulting i pressions will be securedmuch superior to those secured from forms or composition units asusually prepared for impression.

The character-bearing faces of the types are indicated herein by thereference numeral 1 and the type bodies by the reference numeral 2. Inpractice it may be found desirable and convenient to provide means planeX.

for causing the character-bearing faces 1 to come into close contactwith the plane and to remain there while suitable means are applied tothe line for the purpose of preserving the types in their true position.Any suitable means for doing this may be used, and aform of such meansis shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings as applied to a line of types truedto a plane surface X, such form of means comprising a pad 4 with anelastic surface 5 resting upon the bottom ends of the type bodies andhaving a weight 6 resting thereon.

While, according to some features of the invention any suitable meansfor holding the trued line of types, or other composition unit, to suchtrued position during impression may be provided, other features of theinvention contemplate the establishing of a true surface in each of thetype bodies bearing a definite relation to the character-bearing face ofthe said type body, and the said true surface in each type body bearingthe same relation to the character-bearing surface of the said type bodythat the true surface in each of the other type bodies bears to thecharacterbearing surface of the particular type body, The said truesurface may be of any suitable character andmay, if desired, be a planesurface and'may further, if desired, be arranged parallel to the planeof the character bearing surface. The said true surface may beestablished at any con vcnient point in the type body and is hereinshown as being established in the side of the type body and also asbeing established at the bottom end of the type body. Such true surfacesare intended to coact with a true surface on the support for the form orOOII1-.,

unit in which the type bodies are included. It will be seen that thetype bodies are thus retained fixedly in position with reference to eachother and that the character-bearing surfaces will be maintained in asingle'plane. I 7

It may be found advisable to apply temporary holding means to the truedline of types for preserving the types in posit-ion while the truesurface is being established in the type bodies and any suitable meansposing may be provided for this purpose. In thedrawings herewith suchmeans are shown in the form-of a screw-threaded pin? working in one ofthe abutments ,8 of the temporary holder 9, on one surfaee of which isthe will be firmly held between the abutment 8 in the side of the typebody and parallel to In this manner the line of types and the pin 7after having been trued to form of such means is contemplated by theinvention in certain.

of its aspects, as hereinbefore indicated, to provide a correspondintrue surface upon the supporting means for the composition unit duringthe taking of impressions from .the said composition unit. In Fig. 7 ofthe drawings is shown a form of supporting means for a compositionunit-consisting of one line the said supporting means being indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 13 and being provided with a truesurface 14 which actsas a support for the line of type bodies bycontacting with the true surface 12 of the said type bodies, said truesurface 12 being here shown as on the ,bottom end of the type body.Suitable means forkeeping the said true Surfaces in intimate contact arecontemplated and a form of such means is herein shown as aspring-pressed holding device 15 having a beveled jaw 16 workin againsta beveled surface 17 in the type ody 2 to hold the surface 12 to thesurface 14, as will be clearly understood fr0m the drawings.

InyFigs. .6 and 8 are shown lines of types having the true surface 12established in the side ofthe type bodies 2 and having the true surface14 carried y suitable means, a ing shown as the pivoted spring-pressedarms 18 supported upon the supporting means 13 so as to met with thesaid true surface. 12 in the sides of the type bodies. The portion ofthe supporting device bearing the true surface 14 and the opening in theside of the ty e bodies constituting -the line of types may be so shapedthat as the carrier arms are ,impelled inward by their springs thesurface 12 will be brought down into intimate contact with thesurface'14 the line of t es being at the same time firmly held wit itsop osite' side in contact with the side of the ho der 13, which may alsobe a true surface.

In certain aspects of the invention the method included therein isadapted for use in connection with composition units of various kinds,such as sin 1e words, lines, paragraphs pages, etc. he method is welladapted for use where the composing unit consists of a single line andwhere such single line composing units are used to give impressions upona proper impression-receivthe true surface 12 is shown as ing surfacesiich impressions being made a line at a time, if desired. According tocertain features of the invention, therefore, it is contemplated to usea composin unit consisting of a single line from whic after its surfacehas been properly trued according to the method included in theinvention, impression is made upon a proper impression-receivingsurface.

Impressions may be made upon any suitable'impression-receiving material,so far as 4 many features of the invention are concerned, dependentlargely upon the kind of work to be done. Paper, transfer paper, oflsetmaterials matrix materials, planographic materials, or other suitable orconvenient materials may be used. In certain aspects of the invention,however,the use of a planographic impression-receiving surface iscontemplated, and such surface may be aunitary surface or, whendesirable or convenient, it may be in the form of line bars. It will beunderstood, however, that for some purposes a line bar may be used whichis not planographic in character, as for instance, a line bar adaptedfor offset print ing might be used. The surface, whether planographic orotherwise, and whether in the form of a line bar or otherwise, may beyielding. in character, or it may be of a practically unyieldingcharacter, as impressions of excellent qualit are obtained by thisinvention upon sur aces of any character. The securing of excellentimpressions upon a plane unyielding surface, which is effected by thismethod, is regarded of great value, as such impressions cannot besecured by the ,means usually employed in the art. As indicated,plane-graphic bars may be used either for a final form or for atemporary form for pulling proofs and,

after nal correction, to have thecomposition transferred by any suitablemeans to a final form.

The method is well adaptedfor use where types have been composed intoforms, by any suitable means, and after proof correction are fed into amachine for impression,

preferably a line at a time, upon a suitable.

, Where the impressions are taken upon a surface which is adapted to beprepared for printing planographlcally, it will be understood that.after the line of types has been trued up in the manner provided for bythe invention and after the types have been secured in their relativeposition so as to maintain the character-bearing'surface in the plane towhich they have been trued, any suitable medium, such as lithographictransfer ink, is applied to the faces of the types and an impression isthen taken upon the impression-receiving surface. The said surface, ashereinbefore indicated, may be of planographic metal in the form of linebars, or where the matter has been finally corrected and the final formis needed the impressions may be made, if desired, upon a unitarysurface adapted to'be prepared for planographic printing. The surfacemay be further prepared in a manner-well-known to the art. In using anoffset surface,'0f a transfer sflrface, it is obvious also that anyproper medium, such as a lithographic transfer ink. may be used.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings a form of holder is illustrated which may beused, if desired, Where impressions are taken from asingle line oftypes, or where a plurality of lines are used as a form, said holderbeing designated by the reference numeral 19.

In Fig. 9 of the drawings a composition unit is shown consisting of aform, the true surface on the type bodies being represented by thereference numeral 12, and a form of support carrying the true surface 14shown as bars passing through the lines of types, the said surfacesbeing held in intimate contact by reason of the bars carrying the truesurface 14 being made to accurately fit the recesses in the type bodies2. It will be understood also that other forms of line units includedwithin this invention are also adaptable for use in forms comprising aplurality of lines.

In Fig. 10 of the drawings a composition unit 20 consisting of a singleline of types is shown as arranged in a mechanism adapted to yield animpression upon any general impression-receiving surface 21. while inFig. 11 a similar composition unit is shown as being arranged in amechanism to give an impression upon a line bar 22. It will beunderstood also that other forms of line constitute no part of theinvention and are merely shown by way of illustration of ways of usingone form of composition unit comprised by the invention.

lVhile the description of the invention and the drawings have beenreferred especially tocomposition units made up of letter types, it willbe obvious that the invention is applicable to other type units thanletter units. as for instance, to logotypes. In Fig. 12 of the drawingsa line unit comprising logotypes is shown the components of the linehaving their character-bearing surfaces 1 trued to a plane and havingthe trued surfaces 12 in the bodies of the logotypes and 14 'in thesupport for the line suitably arranged in a manner similar to that usedwith single types.

From all the foregoing it will be understood that a method of printingand a composition unit have been provided which realize the objects ofinvention and advantages herein set forth, as well as other objects andadvantages.

The invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the particularmanner of carrying out the process or to the particular embodiment ofthe composition unit, as many changes may be made without departing fromthe main principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chiefadvantages.

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. The method of printing from a line of types which comprises bringingthe character-bearing faces of the types into a single plane, thenestablishing a true face in the body of each of said types, the trueface in each type body bearing the same relation to thecharacter-bearing face of the said type body as the true face in each ofthe other type bodies bears to the character-bearing surface of theparticular type body, then applying a true face on the supporting meansfor the line of types to the true faces established in the types whilean impression is made from the types.

2. The method of printing from a line of types which comprises bringingthe character-bearing faces of the types into a single plane, thenestablishing a true face in the body of each of said types, all of saidtrue faces being in one plane which plane is substantially parallel tothe plane of the type faces, then applying a true face on the supportingmeans for the line of types to the true faces established in the typeswhile an impression is made from the types.

3. The method of printing from a line of types which comprises bringithe character-bearing faces of the type into a single plane by bringingthe said faces into contact with a plane surface, then establishing atrue face in the body of each of said types, the true face in each typebody bearing the same relation to the character-bearing face of the saidtype body as the true face in each of the other type bodies bears to thecharacter-bearing surface of the particular type body, then applying atrue face on the supporting means for the line of types to the truefaces established in the types while an impression is made from thetypes.

4. The method of printing from a line of types which comprises bringingthe character-bearing faces of the types into a single plane by ringingthe said faces into contact with a plane surface, then establishing atrue face in the body of each of said types,

all of said true faces being in one plane, which plane is substantiallyparallel to the plane of the typr faces, then applying a true ace on thesupporting means for the line of types to the true faces established inthe types while an impression is made from the types.

6. The method of printing from a line of types which comprises bringingthe character-bearing faces of the types into a single plane, applyingtemporary holding means to the line of types in order to keep the t pesin fixed relative position, then establishing a true face in the body ofeach type, all of said true faces being in one plane substantiallyparallel to the lane of the type faces, then applying a true ace carriedon the supporting means for the line of types to the true facesestablished in the types while an impression is made from the types.

6. The method of printing from a line of types which comprises bringingthe character-bearing faces of the types into a plane by bringin thesaid faces into contact with a plane sur ace, applying temporary holdingmeans to the line of types in order to keep the types in fixed relativeposition, then establishing a true face in the body of each type, all ofsaid true faces being in one lane su stantiall'y parallel to the plane 0the type faces, then appl in a true face carried on the support for theline of types to the 7 true faces established in the types, and holdingthe last-named true faces to each other while an impression is made fromthe types.

7. The methodof printing from a line of types which comprises bringingthe character-bearin tact with aplane surface, holding the types infixed relative position after they have faces of the types into a singleplane by ringing the said faces mto conbeen so trued, a plying asuitable medium to the characterearing faces of the types, then takingan impression therefrom upon the surface of a planographic line bar,then transferring the impressed matter from a series of saidplanographic bars to a unitary planographic surface, preparing saidsurface for prlnting planographically, and thefi taking impressions fromsaid surface upon an impression-receiving medium.

8. The process of printing rality of t pes which comprlses tru1ng thesurfaces 0 the types by brmging them into contact with a plane surface,estabhshlng a true surface on each of said type bodies and supportingthe types by a true surface bearing on said true surface in the typebodles during the impression.

In testimony whereof I have slgned my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribin witnesses. 1

A GUSTEX L. SALTZMAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN D. Moneim, CLARA Pmnurs.

from a plu-

